sister wives

Have you heard of TLC's new show Sister Wives? It's about a polygamist family that lives right here in Utah (of course). You can watch the first episode online. Find it here. We watched it last night and were totally fascinated by this family. Kody Brown has three wives and 12 going on 13 children. He's been married to the first for 20 years, the second for 17 and the third for 16. During the first episode you find out they've decided to welcome a new wife to the family-- a divorced mother of 3.

What is so interesting about this family is first of all how fairly normal they seem. We are so used to seeing the pioneer dressed, puffy hair kind of polygamists. This family is more along the lines of "Big Love". The other thing that struck me is how happy they all are with this arrangement. It really works for them. Two of the wives work and Kody has a very good job. They live in one large home that is divided into three separate but connecting apartments. The kids all wander freely between the homes. Kody seems to do a great job dividing his time between the wives. And the wives area all great friends.

I could never share my husband but I do see the appeal in having other women around to help out. For example one of the wives really loves working and doesn't enjoy all the housewifely duties so it works out well that her sisterwife loves taking care of all the kids while she works. It's an amazing little system they have worked out.

The other thing we are really curious about is their religion. They are FLDS but obviously not of the Texas compound variety. Kody actually explained the difference between LDS or Mormonism and FLDS really well. He said they are totally separate although related religions similar to Catholics and Protestants.  Jared being the religion teacher totally wants to find out if they have open church services. Wouldn't that be so interesting to see how they are similar or different from mainstream LDS meetings?

So yeah check it out. We don't have cable so I'm really hoping they keep posting the episodes online.

baby shoes

I'm not that big into babies wearing shoes before they can walk. Although they can be cute, it seems rather pointless to me. However with the coming of cooler weather here in Utah I've realized that socks do not like to stay on Miriam's feet. I got sick of constantly putting them back on so I decided she needed some shoes. I figured some simple Robeez would work well because they would fit her for awhile and stay on her feet. I set out to check out our local children's consignment store and got lucky! Check out the darling good as new Robeez I bought... two for less than the price you'd pay for one pair new.

I love the little faux fur detail. The inside is so cozy!

Don't you love the moccasin fringe on these? 

Miriam's feet are gonna be toasty all winter long.

could this be any cuter?

Pretty sure not.

mother artists

And what are any of us if not artists, we mothers who begin with only a tiny newborn canvas that we must help develop into an exquisite success? Sometimes our strokes are confident as Picasso's, when we administer needed discipline or deny candy to the cavity-prone. At other times we falter; we sling drops of green across the floor; we make a terrible mess and stain our children with mistakes. All the same there is beauty in our very effort, and each day, thankfully, is an opportunity for further attempts at triumph.

from "Artistry" by Anne Trisler

3 months

Three months already? And yet it feels like she's always been here. 

I guess this means I can't say I have a newborn anymore. Three months seems positively in the baby stage don't you think? 

Miriam is such a smiley girl. She is a joy. She has been a bit of a mama's girl lately, but it's Daddy who she tells the best stories to. We are enraptured by her little coos.

She doesn't get tummy time enough I'm afraid. She always starts screaming about two minutes into it.
Check out the cute ruffled bum! 

Many thanks to Danielle for this cute outfit.

I finally busted out a headband and bow. She wasn't quite sure what she thought.

Little girls are so fun. I never knew how much I would love the pinks and purples and ruffly bums.

Not totally convinced about the bows yet though. :-)

blue eyes and bubbles

Miriam is an expert spit bubble maker. She can make some seriously big ones. And she's really good at doing multiple bubbles at the same time. She's talented, what can I say? What's even cuter is how when Asher sees her making them, he points at her excitedly and exclaims, "Bubbles!" Bubbles of any variety happen to be one of his favorite things.

Aren't her blue eyes pretty? I'm not so secretly hoping they stay blue. Selfishly mostly for photographic reasons. Blue eyes are so fun to photograph. Asher's didn't start turning brown until he was 6 months so I won't get my hopes up. And brown or hazel eyes are nice too. So uh, if Mimi's turn, don't tell her I once wished them blue.

family home evening at the park

Monday for family home evening we walked to a nearby park and let the kids run wild for awhile. It was a beautiful evening to be outside. I brought my camera along and got some cute pics of the kiddos.

Looking at a plane

I love the composition of this one and Miriam's face, just wish Jared had a more neutral shirt on.

It got kind chilly by the time we walked home. I was glad I brought sweatshirts for us.

The swings were the hot ticket item at the park last night. 

The kids were having a lot of fun jumping off and wanted me to take their pictures.

Jumping photos are always fun don't you think?

bras overrated?

Confession: I have SO not been wanting to wear a bra lately. They all just feel so constricting and annoying. The weird thing is when I was first nursing Asher, I wanted to wear one all the time to support all the extra weight. Now, I have been trying to contrive ways to go without one in public without anyone noticing.

Anyone else out there feel this way? Or am I just one step closer to full on hippie-dom?

For practical (need something to hold the nursing pads in) and modesty purposes I can't be sans bras all the time, which means I REALLY need to invest in some new nursing bras. Any suggestions? I want something super comfy with no underwire. Help please!

the latest from "at mother's breast"

I'm still plugging along with my little breastfeeding project. I took a break for a bit when Miriam was born but have been photographing nursing moms again and posting once a week over on At Mother's Breast.  I really love this project. I love meeting moms who are passionate about breastfeeding. I love the friends I've made and reconnected with through this project. I love how I have become even more enthusiastic about nursing. And braver about nursing in public! I really feel that by seeing breastfeeding portrayed as normal and beautiful, which it is, we will become more comfortable with it. The more it is seen as just ho-hum ordinary, the more women will choose to breastfeed and breastfeed longer!

The CDC recently released the Breastfeeding Report Card for the US.  Utah tops the list with the most mothers who breastfeed at birth. Nearly 90% of Utah mothers breastfeed their newborns. But at 6 months only 58% are still breastfeeding and at 12 months only 35% are still breastfeeding. Although these numbers are better than the national average, we still have lots of room for improvement. Moms need more support!

I hope my project can be one small part of the solution. I feel honored to be able to capture such tender moments between mothers and their babies. I'm still interested in having other photographers contribute to the site, so if you are one or know one who would like to submit photographs of nursing moms, let me know! I especially would love to see more ethnic diversity represented in the images. I want every mom to see someone she can relate to.

Thanks to all of you have supported me in this undertaking. Keep spreading the word!

Here's a little sampling of some of the latest images...

Alisha

Amy

Genevieve

Chelsea

Liz

wood

As we explored the dry creek bed last week, I was drawn to the water worn wood mingled among the rocks. Wood that has been softened by water is especially beautiful. One small piece especially stood out to me and begged to be photographed. I had no choice but to oblige. I'm pleased with how these turned out because due to the very bright sunlight it was quite hard to see what I was doing.